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Description: ACME Annual Lecture on Media and Politics in Africa 2017 delivered by former Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya, Dr Willy Mutunga on 8 November 2017 in Kampala, Uganda.
The first of these insidious influences is the seduction of power. I encountered theseduction of power through the various rituals on the day of my swearing in on June 20,2011. I was driven by a police officer in ceremonial uniform in a Mercedes Benz. Mybrother, my son and my daughter were driven in an SUV behind me. A convoy of carsdriving judges and members of JSC followed. We had police outriders and police carswith sirens. The route to State House did not have moving traffic except our convoy. Icould see Kenyans lined up along the route waiting for our convoy to pass. Suddenly, Iwas beginning to like this ritual. I even thought of asking the driver to open the roof sothat I could greet the Wananchi! Then I stopped dead in my tracks.I recalled an experience in Harare when I and others were kept waiting for President
Mugabe’s
motorcade to pass. We were not allowed to cross the road until after hepassed, an hour later, with sirens and a convoy of sleek cars. A white man who waitedwith me, cursing and hissing, finally looked at me, smiled and said:
“
There goes Boband the
Wailers.”
That incident reminded me of my position on these motorcades ofVIPs, an expensive, extravagant, and uncaring nonsense meant to intimidate the public.When we got to State House I was the centre of attention. The President, PrimeMinister, the Vice-President, the Speaker, Ministers and bureaucrats welcomed me totheir club with open arms. The swearing-in took place witnessed by the representatives
5
of the three arms of state. Photos were taken (my brother and my kids had photos takenwith all these powerful men. There were a few women, the Registrar of the Judiciarybeing among them), video, and the Presidential Press Unit was in attendance. Even myshort speech which warned them
“
Be ye so high, but the law is above y
ou”
did notdampen the festivities. That feeling of happiness kept on coming back into my head. Iwould push it back on every occasion.It was now time to go back to the Supreme Court where other judges waited. The mediaalso waited. I was to make another speech on the steps of the Supreme Court. I wasescorted to my car by among others Professor K. Kibwana who was then the
President’s
constitutional adviser. There was now a new Mercedes Benz, flying a national flag withnew number plates that read CJ1. I had more security personnel in my car and others inthe
“chase
car.”
With the sirens on and noisy I got to the Supreme Court in fiveminutes.That night I reflected on the seduction of power and banished its various forms. Idecided to resist it and came up with strategies to do so. A few days ago I read thispoem by Issa Shivji. I was happy I had heeded his warning:Going to bed with power is romantic
It’s
seductiveAvoid power like plagueFor
it’s
infectiousIt kills the human in youPlanting a ghost.
Related Interests
Rating and Stats
366 views
Document Actions
Description: ACME Annual Lecture on Media and Politics in Africa 2017 delivered by former Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya, Dr Willy Mutunga on 8 November 2017 in Kampala, Uganda.
The first of these insidious influences is the seduction of power. I encountered theseduction of power through the various rituals on the day of my swearing in on June 20,2011. I was driven by a police officer in ceremonial uniform in a Mercedes Benz. Mybrother, my son and my daughter were driven in an SUV behind me. A convoy of carsdriving judges and members of JSC followed. We had police outriders and police carswith sirens. The route to State House did not have moving traffic except our convoy. Icould see Kenyans lined up along the route waiting for our convoy to pass. Suddenly, Iwas beginning to like this ritual. I even thought of asking the driver to open the roof sothat I could greet the Wananchi! Then I stopped dead in my tracks.I recalled an experience in Harare when I and others were kept waiting for President
Mugabe’s
motorcade to pass. We were not allowed to cross the road until after hepassed, an hour later, with sirens and a convoy of sleek cars. A white man who waitedwith me, cursing and hissing, finally looked at me, smiled and said:
“
There goes Boband the
Wailers.”
That incident reminded me of my position on these motorcades ofVIPs, an expensive, extravagant, and uncaring nonsense meant to intimidate the public.When we got to State House I was the centre of attention. The President, PrimeMinister, the Vice-President, the Speaker, Ministers and bureaucrats welcomed me totheir club with open arms. The swearing-in took place witnessed by the representatives
5
of the three arms of state. Photos were taken (my brother and my kids had photos takenwith all these powerful men. There were a few women, the Registrar of the Judiciarybeing among them), video, and the Presidential Press Unit was in attendance. Even myshort speech which warned them
“
Be ye so high, but the law is above y
ou”
did notdampen the festivities. That feeling of happiness kept on coming back into my head. Iwould push it back on every occasion.It was now time to go back to the Supreme Court where other judges waited. The mediaalso waited. I was to make another speech on the steps of the Supreme Court. I wasescorted to my car by among others Professor K. Kibwana who was then the
President’s
constitutional adviser. There was now a new Mercedes Benz, flying a national flag withnew number plates that read CJ1. I had more security personnel in my car and others inthe
“chase
car.”
With the sirens on and noisy I got to the Supreme Court in fiveminutes.That night I reflected on the seduction of power and banished its various forms. Idecided to resist it and came up with strategies to do so. A few days ago I read thispoem by Issa Shivji. I was happy I had heeded his warning:Going to bed with power is romantic
It’s
seductiveAvoid power like plagueFor
it’s
infectiousIt kills the human in youPlanting a ghost.
